This week’s Falls Church Little League Report

A

Red Wings v. Mudcats

Caleb Sedmak scored two runs and delivered 2 RBI to help the Red Wings (5-0) best the Mudcats 16-2 on May 2. The Red Wings were able to end a Mudcats rally in the third inning when Caleb’s twin brother, second baseman Noah Sedmak, fielded a sharp grounder and flipped the ball to shortstop Joseph Lampman, who made the out at second. The Mudcats never gave up with shortstop Steven Gutowski making a diving grab late in the fourth inning that denied Red Wings slugger Joseph Lampman of a sure double.

AAA

Marlins v. Pirates

The Marlins and Pirates celebrated a beautiful May Day by playing a great game on May 1. The Marlins’ 12-2 victory was clinched with powerhouse hitting from Johnny Peterson, Owen Puller and Jake Eye. The Pirates were assisted at first base by Adelaide Madison, who made a diving catch to close out the Pirates’ offense in the fourth inning.

Majors

Yankees v. Orioles

In a game marked by power hitting, Yankees’ starting pitcher John Todd struck out 11 Orioles in five innings of solid pitching, leading his team to a 12-5 win. Todd helped his own cause with a home run, his second of the season.

The Orioles got things rolling in the first inning on a walk to VJ Menon, singles by Mitch MacKeith and Michael Barnes, and a powerful double by Adam Klecheski. The Orioles added two runs in the second on a single to right by Menon and a two-run homer from MacKeith, his second of the season. In the bottom of the second the Yankees battled back against pitcher Menon. Clay Koch got things moving with an infield hit, coming around to score on a triple to the left field fence by Alex McMillen. Jordan Cole proceeded to drive in McMillen with a single. After a walk to Mark Hilliard, Todd homered. An RBI double by Liam Glennon pulled the Yankees even at 5-5.

In the top of the third, the Orioles’ Adam Klecheski walked, but was nailed trying to steal second on a strong throw from Yankees’ catcher McMillen. In the bottom of the inning, walks to Koch and Jon Strader were followed by Hilliard’s triple to the deepest part of the field in center, giving the Yankees a 7-5 lead. 

Over the fourth and fifth innings, Todd struck out five Orioles, allowing a single to Will Philips. A great catch by T.D. Kline on a deep blast from MacKeith helped shut down the O’s. The Yankees added three runs in the fifth, with the key hits being a Glennon double and a long single from Kline. In the fifth, the Yankees added two more runs on a double by Glennon and single by Todd. Coming on in relief in the sixth, Glennon preserved the Yankees’ 12-5 win over a tough Orioles squad.

Red Sox v. Nationals

Sparkling defense by right fielder Jarret Marsh provided critical support to starting pitcher Richard Marsh, as the Sox defeated a determined Nationals squad 6-3 on April 30. In gaining the win for the 4-2 Sox, Marsh struck out six. Coming on in relief in the fourth inning, Lucas Cherry finished the game and secured the victory.

Richard Marsh scored in the first for the Sox on a single by Frankie Hall, who added a double in the second. Cherry had two hits for the winners. But it was the dramatic play of Jarret Marsh that allowed the Sox to hold on for the win. Marsh had four putouts in right field, including two that had him running full speed at the crack of the bat to make spectacular catches. Dalton Marsh added a key RBI single for the Sox.

Threatening the Sox until the very last out of the game, the Nationals also displayed some excellent defensive play throughout. On a true “web gem,” shortstop Jesse Jones went deep behind second to rob Matt Lowery of sure hit. In addition to strong defensive work at first base, Daniel Butler was solid in relief on the mound for the Nationals, as was Joey Gorman

Cubs v. A’s

The Cubs and A’s had a battle of the bats, with the Cubs being fortunate to have the last at bat in this FCKLL classic that ended in favor of the Cubs 12-11. The A’s sprinted out to an early led by the pitching and hitting of Alec Daniele, who finished the game with eight strikeouts over three innings and went 3-for-4 at that plate, hitting two doubles and a home run. The A’s generated key hits from Clint Rock and Michael Evans during a big third inning as well. The Cubs continued to swing the bats aggressively, despite a 9-2 deficit going into the bottom of the fourth. They used two bases loaded singles from Danny Leonard and a game tying double by Ben Torpey to pull even with the A’s by the fifth. Leading off in the bottom of the sixth for the Cubs, Mimi Azor hit a single to center field. He would eventually come around to score the winning run on single by Ryan Leonard.